1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to compositions containing reduced calories, reduced carbohydrates and sugar substitutes and, more particularly, to a composition containing xylitol and fiber in a powdered, liquid and/or product form.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of food and drink products as well as powdered mixes are presently available which contain both fats and sugars. For example, chocolate-flavored confectionery products comprise cocoa butter or a cocoa butter fat substitute, and sugar, typically in the form of sucrose. Other examples of such products are baked goods such as cookies, brownies and cakes and frozen desserts such as ice cream. Numerous beverages and powdered mixes for use in producing foodstuffs and beverages also contain fattening amounts of sugar.
The fat and sugar components in such products can provide a significant number of calories. In the case of fat, the caloric load is due to the triglycerides that are present. For example, a natural fat, such as corn oil, provides a caloric density of about 9 calories per gram. By comparison, vegetable protein provides only about 4 calories per gram.
A number of solutions have been proposed for replacing the fat component in such products. For example, gums and other thickeners are typically used to replace a portion of the fat component by increasing the amount of water that is present. However, these substitutes often have a number of undesirable properties, particularly in the textural and flavor area. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a substitute for higher calorie fats other materials which have reduced calories while maintaining the textural and flavor properties of fat.
In the case of sugars, sucrose is often used in such products, particularly in drinks. It is well known that sucrose imparts a significant number of calories to such food products. The caloric density of sucrose is about 4 calories per gram. In addition, certain diseases, in particular diabetes, require the affected person to restrict their intake of sucrose and other sugars.
A variety of high intensity, reduced calorie sweeteners have been developed to replace sugar. Prominent examples of such reduced calorie sweeteners are aspartame and acesulfame. While these materials can replace the sweetness component, they are totally incapable of providing the other functional properties of sugar. These other functional properties include water activity (aw) reduction, control of starch gelatinization temperature, and viscosity.
A variety of bulking or bodying agents have been proposed to replace sugars to provide these other functional properties. These bulking agents include cellulosic derivatives such as carboxymethylcellulose, hydrocolloid gums and certain wholly or partially nondigestible carbohydrates. A prominent example of such partially nondigestible carbohydrates is the polyglucose derivative referred to as polydextrose. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,876,794 and 3,766,165 to Rennhard, issued Apr. 8, 1975 and Oct. 16, 1973, respectively, disclose the use of polydextrose and its related polyglucose derivatives as non-nutritive carbohydrate substitutes in a variety of food products including cakes, dietetic ice cream, low calorie salad dressings, chocolate coating formulations, whipped toppings and French salad dressings.
Polydextrose does not behave like a simple sugar and particularly does not have the same baking properties as sugars. Instead, it functions more as a filler or viscosity controlling agent, much like starch dextrins. Polydextrose works very well in low water systems such as hard candies. However, in intermediate water containing baked goods systems, such as brownies and cookies, polydextrose does not work very well. Polydextrose can also be used in high water systems such as cakes and ice creams, but requires strict formulation control. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a reduced calorie substitute for sugar that provides its functional properties in a variety of food products and drinks without requiring strict formulation control.
Numerous prior art disclosures are directed to the use of sugar substitutes in foods. The U.S. patents listed and described below all are illustrative of such prior art.